Making your own oven mitts is a great way to bring what you love (quilting) into the kitchen in a tasteful and useful way. I hope you find the oven mitt tutorial useful, and please let me know if you make a pair!

This February Sarah from Berry Barn Designs is hosting a fun challenge called the 4×7 Sewing Challenge to sew for yourself for 30 minutes each day during February. I haven’t quite made 30 minutes each day – some were more and some were less – but I like trying to sew a little each day.

I’m trying to make my sewing more purposeful. As in, choose projects that I really want to finish. Finish the projects I start. Do something with the scraps or throw them away. Finally finish the quilt for my bed. That type of purposeful.

I made two sets of leaders for my new velcro longer setup (which so far I am in love with, other than having to make leaders). I watched Sharon Chamber’s youtube video on how she loads her quilts, and while some of it doesn’t apply because she uses a different type of machine than I do, I love her leader method. It helps me attach the quilts to achieve a flatter surface which results in a more even stitch especially at the top and bottom of the piece. It’s also easier to load because I can center the quilt easier – and if it’s off by a little, re-center much easier. You can see the newest 50″ leader in action below.

I also pieced a little mini that I had started during the January meeting of the Quilting Circle I am part of. I am really trying to not create new UFO’s so I pieced the top, made a backing (even attaching a label!), found a scrap of batting that fits, and it is in line for the longarm.

I also made another block for the “Real World Red & White” quilt. I was obsessed with that quilt last winter, and then as it warmed up my interest waned. I had though about signing up for the 4×5 block exchange on flickr this winter to get more blocks for the quilt. I did the 2014 Winter and 2014 Spring (received and sent) iterations and received some great blocks, but I have so many blocks that I want to make myself. I had to really ask myself if I was going to sign up because I wanted to do a bee, or if I wanted a forcing function to get 6 more blocks done. I really wanted a forcing function, so I’ve decided to just challenge myself to make 6 more blocks. I would like to get it done by mid-March. That’s one block a week, and seems do-able. This week I started with the Stepping Stones block from Piece n Quilt’s 30 days of blocks.

Week 1 was super productive! Here’s hoping I can keep up the momentum with week 2!